05/26/2024
"God Gives Nothing by Halves" was the title of my devotional reading this morning yet among Christians there are many who feel confident that while giving Him half of themselves they still deserve all of Him. There is a scripture we quote all of the time and when we do, we rejoice, but few actually carry through with what Jesus actually asks of us as he quotes the first commandment, and repeats one word three times... that word is “ALL”.
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
Matthew 22:37 KJV
He isn't asking us to love God totally for a few minutes on Sunday and then go about living a worldly life without Him. What Jesus asks is that we love God to the point that we change our lives and restructure all we are to love Him totally. We should pray without ceasing; change the way we do business, run our families as the bible teaches, praise Him in ALL things, wake with Him on our minds and have Him remain there until sleep overtakes us at night...then allow Him into our dreams. It is in this type of life and relationship that our faith flourishes and God's blessings flow like rushing water. God the Father and Jesus our Savior should rule our every deed and thought.
“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
John 16:23-24 KJV
God expects our all and He gives us His all in return. We should be ready for Him every day and night, yet so many think that they will wait until the moment He comes again before they prepare themselves. They hold to such sayings as "seeing is believing." but Jesus tells us differently.
“Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”
Luke 12:37-38 KJV
The Bridegroom wants our lamps prepared and filled with oil in anticipation of His arrival. Jesus spoke of this in a parable regarding His coming (Mat 25:1-13), and ends it with a warning for those who are not prepared; he says this to them...
“But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
Matthew 25:12-13 KJV
I repeat again that God wants to give us His all, but He wants ours in return. We are created in His image and isn't it true that you feel this same way towards those in your life that you love? We are prepared to love our spouses completely, but we also expect them to love us in kind. A man will lavish his wife with gifts if she loves him completely; parents will give abundantly to children who love and honor them; we give our loyalty to friends who are loyal to us; these are a few examples of our need for reciprocation, and God expects the same. We are in a relationship with Him and as in all relationships it is like the intertwined fingers of two hands that are tightly bound together in a grip by which the two gain more strength than they have individually.
So this morning as we pray, let's begin by rededicating ourselves fully to Him; let's intertwine our fingers as we fold our hands before us to symbolize the strength we feel when God is the ALL in our lives. Let's thank God for giving us His all and promise Him ours. Then as we conclude our prayer, let's pray the Lord's Prayer in praise, love, thanksgiving, and anticipation of Him. By doing this we are ready to change our lives and live in the fullness of His presence.
May God bless and keep you, and may He never find you lacking in His mercy and generosity.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for giving us your all. Thank you for your Son Jesus who held, and holds, nothing back from us, but gave, and gives, us all of Himself… even as He did unto death. Thank you father for your grace and mercy that is complete and full, and for your forgiveness which separates our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. Thank you too Father for choosing not to remember them, and by so doing insuring that they are all lost forevermore. Help us Lord to be more like you with each breath we take until at last all that we are is a reflection of you. Teach us to be merciful, to give grace to others without requiring recompense, and to forgive them completely as we do. Help us to practice giving our all to you and those around us until we are perfect in this. When we see or hear ourselves withholding our all, remind us of yourself, and convict our souls until we give as you do. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who was, and is, and is to come. Holy are you who gives, and gives His all, and exists, and has existed, and will always exist, because you are indeed the ALL in ALL, and the great I AM. Hear us as we thank you, and profess our love for you without reservation, in these, and all things, we give you our all and withhold nothing from you. Today let us be fully prepared and expectant of the return of your Son Jesus. Let our lamps be full to the brim with oil, and our wicks trimmed and lit in preparation for his arrival. When He comes Abba, we pray that nothing has been left undone, no stone left unturned, and that ALL is ready for Him when we are called to meet Him. In that moment when time has reached its fullness, when there are no tears, no pain, and no suffering, then all of our faith will be complete, and all of our hearts, minds, and souls, will be filled with our love for you. In that instant our ALL will be perfect, and we will praise you, and worship you, for all eternity.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Amen!
Rich Forbes